Cheater, Cheater?
by Menshi
Summary: Oh, just ask Eddie. He'd really rather fight a handful of strigoi than to watch Adrian sulk. SydneyxAdrian. R&R please?


Hallo, VA fans. This is my first VA fic. R&R please!

**Disclaimer:** I own Adrian. In my dreams. But in reality, I don't. Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, and all characters you recognize belong to Richelle Mead.

xxx

Adrian's brows furrowed down into an angry contemplation. He drummed his fingers wildly on the counter table. His other arm propped on the unoccupied stool on his side. He fixed a menacing glare at the space where the bartender stood. The bartender, thinking that the man's glare was directed at him flinched and walked to other side of the counter. But the moroi's glare moved to where he went.

A loud exasperated sigh sounded from his left. Adrian had forgotten about his companion, but the reminder didn't faze him.

He continued to glare the already pale bartender.

"I thought you wanted to talk." Seeing Adrian sulk made Eddie tired. He'd really rather fight a handful of strigoi tonight.

"I didn't say I wanted to talk to you."

"Then why did you invite me here?"

When that didn't earn a response, the guardian released yet another exasperated sigh. "You didn't invite me here to watch you sulk all night, did you?"

"I'm not sulking." But by the way he shifted into a slouching position, it was clear that Adrian was definitely sulking.

Over the years, Eddie had developed a spontaneous friendship with Adrian. He had grown used to the moroi's antics, but seeing him mope like this was very rare. It wasn't really a sight to behold. The last time he was like this, it was when Sydney, Jill, Angeline, Trey, Micah, Eddie - basically the whole gang - went to the city without inviting Adrian. They came home to a prickly Adrian who told stories about scantily clad sorority girls and how they would _never_ leave him alone to have a tea party with a mentally unstable old moroi to have fun in the city.

It wasn't the best experience any of them has had. This time, Eddie could swear the reason for Adrian's low spirits was just as petty. Eddie wished for a strigoi attack so he didn't have to deal with him. But he felt bad afterwards.

"Adrian, would you please stop glaring at the bartender? It's not his fault." Because whatever it was that caused Adrian's miserable life for the night, he was sure it had something to do with a certain blonde-haired girl with big brown eyes.

And yet, Adrian continued to glare.

"Okay, that's it." Eddie started as if he was finally giving up his life in the midst of a strigoi attack. "I'm going to call Sydney." He started pulling his phone from his pocket when Adrian spoke.

"Go ahead. Call her. Let's see if she'll pick up. She hasn't even talked to me ever since that new guy moved into the neighborhood."

_The neighborhood._ Eddie mused. Adrian and Sydney have mentioned a week ago that they were finally going to have a new neighbor. The old neighbor – the one with a five-year-old kid, who constantly stole from them (much to Sydney's annoyance and to Adrian's amusement) and left the things at the mouth of the woods as a form of sacrifice to the bears, has moved to someplace else after being robbed of expensive jewelries.

The parents blamed the bears. But how the bears discovered that they hide their jewelries in the family vault, in which the password was the five-year-old kid's birthday (according to the parents), was beyond Adrian and Sydney's comprehension. Besides, there were no bears in Palm Springs.

Eddie blinked. So that was what this was all about? It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Adrian was jealous. Eddie himself was very familiar with that emotion.

He turned to look at Adrian. He has stopped glaring at the bartender and was now looking down at his untouched martini with sad eyes. Eddie gulped at the absurdity of this revelation. Sydney? She had a couple of boyfriends before and other suitors, but that was irrelevant now. He didn't think Sydney would cheat on Adrian. They've been through a lot together. Sydney loved Adrian no matter how immature, lazy and annoying Adrian could be.

But… what if the other guy was nice, responsible, caring, hard-working and mature? Sydney liked that type of guys. _Would she be tempted? _Eddie shook his head. _No way._

"Maybe they're just friends?" He was trying to make Adrian feel better, but even he admitted how lame that statement-question sounded.

Adrian shifted so he was now facing Eddie. If it was possible, his brows furrowed even further, somehow giving him a confused look. But Eddie new it went deeper than that.

"Her aura shines when they're together, Eddie." His voice came out as a feather-touched whisper, but the sadness behind it screamed louder than the background music in the bar. "I saw it with my own eyes. She's happy with Jamie."

_Jamie,_ Eddie thought. Auras don't lie. And Adrian has seen how her aura reacts around the Jamie guy. Good Lord, he didn't think there was anything he could say to make the situation better, so he settled for silence instead.

xxx

After what seemed like forever, Adrian finally broke the silence. "I think I should go now." Looking down at the time on his phone, he let out a sardonic laugh. "You know, she spends the afternoon with him. I don't know what they do together, but she doesn't want me to be there. And do you know what's worse?" when Eddie only stared, Adrian continued.

"She comes home around midnight. So I'm left alone in our room, waiting for her to come back." He spoke this with so much bitterness. Eddie felt sad for him. Adrian must've felt like a dog, waiting for his master to come home.

Adrian stood up as Eddie spoke. "Hey, don't be like that. Maybe they're just working on an assignment or something." Gods help him. He wasn't an expert at making people feel better.

The look that Adrian sent him was of incredulity. They had a mini stare-off before the moroi shook his head in defeat. "Eddie, I doubt it."

After a while and the guardian still hadn't moved, Adrian turned back to him. "Come on, Castille. You're driving me home."

Xxx

The drive to Sydney and Adrian's flat composed of comfortable silence for Adrian and an uncomfortable silence for Eddie. He was still thinking of something to say to make his companion feel better.

Xxx

When they arrived at the yellow house, as Adrian puts it - what with the yellow paint and all - Eddie heard Adrian mumble a tiny thank you before getting out of the car. But an unfamiliar voice made him stop.

"Hey Adrian!"

Eddie watched his companion turn to look at the stranger.

"Hey."

He couldn't see Adrian's expression, but his voiced sounded forced.

_This has got to be Jamie._ Eddie wondered.

He opened his door and went to stand beside Adrian. He regarded the stranger with his guardian eyes. He looked like your typical boy next door; Shaggy dark hair, bright blue eyes, broad smile. He had on a black shirt with the words STRAIGHT EDGE written across the chest. Also, jeans and green canvass shoes. Eddie presumed he was around 20. His guardian eyes could also see that this Jamie dude was a good-looking guy.

But was he nice, responsible, caring, hard-working and mature?

Well, being a typical boy next door, he did look like a nice guy. And hard-working too. Why else would he be carrying a water can and a small shovel if he weren't gardening… at night?

Eddie felt silly for checking out the guy. _But I'm using my guardian eyes, _he reasoned to himself.

Before he could realize he was staring at the water can, the guy held it up. "Oh, my mom asked me to plant the seeds. She loves plants a lot, but she has arthritis so she couldn't build the garden herself." Eddie nodded as if it totally made sense that he had to garden at midnight.

_Responsible and caring. _

A responsible son. Caring to the plants. _Close enough, _Eddie thought. And if you were nice, hard-working, responsible and caring, you ought to be mature too, right?

Eddie shook his head. He wasn't supposed to think great things about the enemy. _His shoes are caked with dirt. Sydney doesn't like dirty. Adrian is always clean._

The guy turned to Adrian. "Sydney's inside. She's in the kitchen with Jamie."

_Jamie?_ So this wasn't the guy?

"Thanks, Sam."

Adrian clenched his jaw and stormed past… Sam.

Sam watched Adrian, head cocked to one side, confused.

Eddie followed the moroi without glancing back at the other guy.

Xxx

He heard Sydney's happy voice before he stepped into the kitchen.

"Jamie!" She was laughing. She was happy.

Adrian was right. His heart went out to his friend. But Sydney was his friend too. No matter how this evening was going to play out, he swore he'd be fair to both of them.

It was when Adrian started speaking that he heard it; a small familiar sound that came from under the table where Sydney was crouched.

"Sage, it's past midnight. You should be sleeping. _At our home_." Adrian put emphasis to the last line, but the alchemist ignored it.

"Adrian, what are you doing here? I told you not to come here!" Her smile was gone now, replaced by an annoyed expression. Without waiting for a reply, she turned to Eddie. "What are you two doing here?"

Eddie, still confused by the small, familiar whine-like sound began walking to Sydney's direction. He flinched when he heard it again. _Was that a…_

"Adrian, you know Jamie gets crazy scared when you're around."

The whine has now rose into a crescendo. "Eddie, don't come here!" Sydney snapped, but Eddie ignored her. He wanted to see if his guess was correct.

"You think that's my problem? He has a problem with me. And that's not my problem."

Eddie could see _Jamie_ now. He stared at it with wide eyes.

"Jamie is a puppy?" He asked no one in particular but both his friends turned to look at him with strange expressions.

Eddie stared at Adrian. "So you're saying she cheated on you with a dog?"

"What? I never said she cheated on me!" He crossed his arms petulantly. "But actually, if you put it like that –"

"Adrian!"

"It's just like cheating!"

"Adrian!"

"Stop saying my name like that!"

"Adrian, I'm not cheating on you!"

Eddie clearly remembered Adrian referring to Jamie as _him._

"But you said _him."_

Adrian looked as if Eddie was wasting his time asking stupid questions. "Eddie, the dog is a boy. So he's a _he._"

"Adrian, a dog is an _it._"

The moroi raised his hands up as if in surrender. He pointed to Sydney. "You tell her that."

The events at the bar suddenly came to him. He remembered that particular part where Adrian looked at him incredulously when he speculated that Jamie and Sydney could only be working on an assignment. Adrian looked like it was the last thing they could be doing. _Well, of course. Jamie's a dog._

The couple resumed bickering, but Eddie has had enough. "Okay you two, that's enough!"

He could feel a headache coming. The couple fell silent but the dog, Jamie, was still whining. It was scared. Sydney tried to console him, but to no avail. Instead, she glared at Adrian. Adrian glared at her in return.

Animals, generally, didn't like moroi and dhampirs. It must've been the reason why Sydney didn't want Adrian to come over. He also remembered the time when they went to the city and Sydney couldn't stop petting the old woman's yellow Labrador in glee. She has always wanted to have a pet, but couldn't get one because then, Adrian would scare it.

Ridiculously enough, he also understood Adrian's jealousy. He was quite possessive of Sydney. He does everything to make it crystal clear to everyone that Sydney was his girlfriend. He sighed as he remembered how he acted when Trey or Ian was around.

Adrian didn't want to get Sydney's aura to get all shiny around another man or in this case, animal. It was supposed to glow only for him. Alchemist, dhampir or moroi alike, he could do something to keep them away from her. But a dog? He was powerless against it.

As infuriating and exhausting that night had become, Eddie couldn't help but smile a little at the couple.

Eddie watched as Adrian walked to Sydney with open arms. She was still pouting as the dog continued to whine. Thankfully, Sam came and carried the puppy outside.

Adrian gathered her up in his arms. Sydney's head was now tucked under his chin. The moroi mumbled something to Sydney. He must've been apologizing because Sydney finally looked up with a fond look on her face. She stood up on her toes and pressed her mouth to Adrian's.

Eddie felt awkward standing there while his friends kiss. So he turned around and left without saying goodbye.

He doubt they'd notice him anyway.

xxx

Eh, I still think that was a lame ending. :x

Thanks for reading. Review, please?


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